Sirane innovates plastic-free salad bags for Carrefour

02 Jul 2020 --- UK-based absorbent food packaging specialist Sirane has developed a plastic-free salad packaging solution as part of a project with major brands in France. The salad bags are a variant of the supplier’s renowned Earthfilm paper packaging range and expected to roll out for Les Crudettes salads and Carrefour-branded salads in early 2021. The bags can be recycled as part of the paper recycling stream.

(RE)SET Packaging circular economy consultancy firm was looking worldwide for innovators of environmentally sustainable food packaging. Sirane was among the suppliers shortlisted to work on potential solutions – and nine months on the plastic-free salad bag is the first potential (RE)SET Packaging product launch on the horizon.

The salad bags – which are a variant of Sirane’s Earthfilm paper packaging range – will be used for LSDH brand Les Crudettes’ salads and Carrefour-branded salads. Carrefour has pledged to make all of its packaging recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025.

“In France alone, 290 million ready-to-eat salads are sold every year. They have always been sold in plastic packaging, which cannot be recycled, meaning a huge amount of waste going into landfill,” explains Simon Balderson, Managing Director at Sirane.

“We’ve managed to perfect a coated paper which still gives the necessary shelf life. The bags have some translucency – especially when in direct contact with the salad – and there is no need for the producers to use an anti-fog treatment.”The plastic-free bags maintain translucency when in direct contact with the salad.

Plastics regulations tighten
The Carrefour Group has more than 5,000 stores in France, ranging from hypermarkets to local stores, while Les Crudettes is France’s most well-known ready-to-eat salad brand, producing more than 20,000 tons of salad every year.

In 2019, France announced plans to introduce a tax on packaging made from non-recycled plastic, which would result in such products costing up to 10 percent more, Sirane notes. France as a nation pledged to use only recycled plastics by 2025 – but some retailers and producers, including Carrefour, signed up to more ambitious targets.

France took its first steps towards phasing out single-use plastics on January 1 this year. The ban started with plastic plates, cups and cotton buds, and plastic straws and cutlery will follow January 1, 2021, while 2022 is expected to see a ban on plastic tea bags and toys distributed free of charge in fast food restaurants.

Similarly, the UK plans to introduce a plastics tax on all packaging that does not include at least 30 percent recycled material by April 2022. In April, the British Plastics Federation released guidelines on including recycled content in packaging.

Eco-centric innovation
Earthfilm is a plastic-free packaging film that is recyclable in the paper stream. The film is also available as a preformed pouch – the award-winning Earthpouch.

One of the main attractions of Packaging Innovations 2020 was the Sirane stand where the supplier showcased its Earth Packaging solutions. Balderson shared insights into Sirane’s plastic-alternative, compostable and recyclable packs and how they can reduce packaging waste and food waste simultaneously.

In March, Sirane developed a plastic-free sandwich skillet as an alternative to the PE-coated packs and laminated boards which currently dominate the market. The sandwich packs, branded as Earthwedge, are created from a combination of coated boards and coated papers.

More recently, launched a range of mono-material recyclable pouches and films called RePEat. The range can be recycled where LDPE recycling streams are available.

Sirane is an innovative food packaging development-to-manufacture company, with expertise in absorbency and material science. Specialisms include bags and pouches, absorbent products, shelf life extension and dual-ovenable products.

The supplier recently acquired a UK-based board manufacturer and converter and offers a high-speed low-cost pouch filling machine – the M7– for a complete “food packaging pouch package.”

Edited by Joshua Poole